Religion and family status more important than politics for Americans, according to the New York Times

Herb Scribner, Deseret News

Saturday

Oct 13, 2018 at 3:05 AM

The New York Times' Upshot asked 2,204 Americans to list the three identities that meant the most to them.

The United States is full of people touting their family and faith.

The New York Times' Upshot asked 2,204 Americans to list the three identities that meant the most to them.

Family status and religion ranked as the values Americans deemed most important, the report said.

Here's a breakdown:

39 percent said family status was the most important. 16 percent said religion was the most important. 8 percent said gender and age were the most important. 7 percent said occupation and nationality were most important. 3 percent said political party was most important.

Family status topped the list of identities seen as very important.

Religion finished fourth on the "very important" list.

Why it matters: The Times report noted that politics and partisanship don't mean as much to American identity as we think. But the other factors — family, religion or gender — impact partisanship.

“That means that while people may not explicitly prioritize their politics when asked to describe themselves, these other identities now offer a clearer window into their politics. Today, a white Christian Southerner is highly likely to be a Republican. A nonreligious, nonwhite woman is highly likely to be a Democrat. ‘Identity politics,' even without explicitly mentioning politics at all, can apply to either group.”

Read more: Check out The Upshot for the information found in the survey.